10 desserts to tempt your sweet tooth

I picked up some chicken thighs recently and started looking online for recipe ideas. Suddenly, while perusing Tastespotting, I envisioned some simply roasted chicken thighs with roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, onions and garlic. Simple. Delicious. I loved this recipe, it was hearty and filling, yet fairly healthy. I served the chicken and veggies with some quinoa. This meal was a big hit with the entire family.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes, Garlic, Asparagus, and Mushrooms:Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

2 tbsp olive oil (divided)

4-5 skinless, chicken thighs

Garlic powder, to taste

Dried basil, to taste

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

7-8 cloves of garlic, SKINS LEFT ON

8 oz button mushrooms, sliced in quarters

1/2 red onion, cut into large chunks

8 asparagus spears, wooden ends removed

1 cup of cherry tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Coat a large glass baking dish with olive oil spray. In a large bowl, toss together the mushrooms, onions, garlic (the skins left on while roasting so they don’t burn) then season with garlic powder, dried basil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil over the mixture and toss with fingers until evenly coated. Place the mushroom mixture into the glass baking dish and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and asparagus to the bowl you used for the mushroom mixture and drizzle with the last 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and season with garlic powder, dried basil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet that has been coated with cooking spray, over medium high heat. Season the chicken with basil, garlic powder, sea salt and black pepper, to taste, evenly all over the thighs.

Once the pan is very hot, add the seasoned chicken thighs to the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown on one side, flip the chicken. Remove the baking dish from the oven and place the chicken thighs in with the mushrooms; add the tomatoes and asparagus. Place in the oven and roast for 9-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove from oven. Carefully, remove the garlic skin from the garlic cloves and toss them back in with the chicken and roasted vegetables. Place the chicken and roasted vegetables on the serving platter, sprinkle with the parsley and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

About Pam

My name is Pam and I am a stay at home mom with two children who inspire me to be a better cook. I love using fresh ingredients, organic when possible, and I like to experiment with different tastes and textures. I try to keep my recipes lower in fat but still tasting great. My favorite hobbies are cooking, photography, and blogging so I decided to combine them and create a recipe blog. It has been a wonderful way to organize my recipes and share them at the same time.

My doctor just put me on a low-sodium diet, and I was looking for an alternative to the absurdly-high-sodium creole chicken thighs I had planned, that used the various ingredients I had around. This exactly fit the bill, and was a big hit with the family; I served it with some home-made, low-sodium Chinese fried rice with vegetables. Three changes & observations: (a) I had a lot of basil growing in the garden, so I used about of cup of fresh basil instead of the sprinkles of dried, (b) I had a tub of pre-peeled garlic cloves, so I used some of those; I had no problem with them scorching, and (c) it took much longer than you suggest for the thighs to fully cook through, perhaps partly because my thighs were not boned and had been in the fridge. Next time I make this (and there will be a next time) I’ll probably cook them a little longer in the skillet before tossing them in the oven. Thanks!